


Japor Snippet

by ForeverDelighted



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, KyloRey, One Shot, Reylo - Freeform, forgotten memory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-05-11 14:57:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5630677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForeverDelighted/pseuds/ForeverDelighted
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey discovers the abandoned Jedi Academy, where she finds a japor snippet that a dear friend had once made for her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Japor Snippet

**Author's Note:**

> I caved and I wrote a one-shot. xx It’s just a wee thing, based on the whole theory of Rey being one of Luke's students before the Academy was attacked by The First Order. xx Hope you like it. xx
> 
> “I made this for you. So you’d remember me. I carved it out of a japor snippet. It’ll bring you good fortune.” - Anakin to Padme.

_I remember you._

Rey held the small metal trinket in her hand, looking at it through clouded, hazel eyes. It was scarcely the size of her thumb, the long piece of thick cord attached to it slipping over her hand. With one slender finger she traced over the black lines etched into it, admiring the small intricate waves and symbols adoring it. What they meant she didn’t know, but somewhere deep in the back of her mind she knew that had not always been true. She had known what they meant. Once, so long ago.

 _You were a gift to me, weren’t you?_ Rey thought, fragmented snippets of memories echoing around her as her eyes focused on the strange little charm. _But from whom?_

There was nothing on it to indicate who had given it to her, just a small tinge of pain in her head whispering that this was hers. That it had been a gift. A gift from someone she looked up to. Someone she adored. Someone she had once called friend.

A small series of beeps caught her attention, drawing her gaze away from the relic of another life, one buried and forgotten in the sands of time. She looked over her shoulder to BB-8. The small droid titled his head, rolling forward to look at what she had found. He let out another wave of beeps and whirls, titling his head to the other side.

“How did I know it was there? Good question,” Rey sighed, dangling the charm from its cord, allowing the droid to get a good look. As the rain softly pelted down, the falling droplets of water on the trinket glimmered in the setting sunlight.

How did she know where to find this? It was so strange that she knew that the charm would be here, buried under this very tree, despite her never having been on this planet before.

Strange indeed, but it certainly wasn’t the only odd thing in this place.

They had arrived on this planet a few hours ago. Master Luke having sent her here to complete her training, telling her the answers to her past lay waiting for her to rediscover on this forest cloaked planet.

The first strange thing to happen to her occurred when she had exited the _Millennium Falcon_. As soon as the tangy, piney air hit her, she had instantly been felt a wave of deja vu.

_I feel like I’ve been here before._

Cautiously, she and BB-8 left the ship, beginning their exploration of the surrounding areas. The more she and BB-8 wondered, the more and more the that gnawing feeling grew. It was as if she knew the vast, snow capped mountain range encircling the lush, green forest. The winding rivers and glistening lake. The decrepit pile of rubbles and ruins of ancient sites that lay clustered around the forest.

It was all so familiar, yet so alien to her.

Wherever she went, ghosts of what felt like memories played around her. She heard laughter and talks, mock battle cries and cheers, the clash of wood on wood, and sometimes the sound of lightsabers clashing.

Sometimes she even saw people. Some young, some older. Most were clad in what she knew to be Jedi attire, white tunics and brown cloaks. She saw them at the corner of her eyes, but only fleetingly. Whenever she turned to look at them, they had vanished.

At first the strange sights caused her to think she was losing her mind. But after a while she began to form a theory. From everything she was seeing and feeling, she began to suspect that this place had to have been be the legendary Jedi Academy that Master Luke had set up.

The moment the thought formed she knew it too be true. This had to be it.

If it was then everything she was seeing and feeling could merely be her tapping into the force, the feeling of familiarity belonging to those who had once lived and trained here. Everything she was experiencing may be the leftover emotions that clung to this place, like records that only those with force sensitivity could watch and relive.

She doubted anyone would want to tap into the memories that haunted this place. She knew the story of this academy, and she knew the ending. It was not one she wished to ever listen to again, the very notion sending a chilling shiver down her spine.

As if spurred on by her thoughts, something in the atmosphere began to change. Everything fell into a deathly silence, even the wind coming to an abrupt halt.

Rey bit her lip, slowing her pace as she looked around cautiously.

Something bad was about to happen.

She could feel it.

A hiss escaped her as rain began to fall, darkening the ground and everything it touched. Rey pulled her hood over her head, running off into the forest for shelter, BB-8 racing ahead of her. The little droid hated getting wet.

They stood under the fanned out branches of the trees, listening intently to the pitter patter of the rain. It was relaxing, and Rey allowed her eyes to close, her breaths drawing out longer as she inhaled and exhaled deeply. She concentrated, tapping into the force, trying to figure out what the impending doom was.

As she fell into a light meditative trance, the sound of the rain was slowly drowned out. It was overpowered by the sound of terrified screams and the raging crackle of fire, growing louder with every second. Rey’s features contorted into a frown, her body starting to shake.

She tried to breath in through her mouth to calm her erratically hammering heart, but instantly smoke filled her lungs, and she coughed violently, doubling over as she choked. She grasped her throat, crying out as she struggled to breath. Opening her eyes she felt her heart ache, a scream muffled by her hands flying to cover her mouth.

Gone was the peaceful shades of greens, browns and earthy colors of the surrounding forest and ruins. Now everything was dark, the sky set ablaze, glowing a dark, sinister red hue. Thick black smoke wafted through the air, coming from the burning, crumbling forest. Where once had laid rubble and piles of stones, now stood skeletons of temples, filled with searing flames.  

Rey shook her head, stepping back and pushing herself up against the tree behind her. A horrified cry stuck in her throat.

Lying motionless on the ground surrounding the temples were bodies, blood seeping from fresh wounds. Not too far away she could hear blood curdling screams that shook her to her very core, and she knew the body count was growing.

“BB-8, what’s happening?” Rey cried.

She spun around, only to find the droid was gone. “BB-8? BB-8!”

Rey felt a chill run down her spine. She felt eyes on her. Wildly she turned around, seeing a dark figure lurking across the clearing, watching her. Whoever or whatever it was it was hidden behind the shadows of the treeline, but even from all the way over here she could feel the danger radiating from it. There was a sharp buzz of a lightsaber activating, and a jagged, unstable beam of red light penetrated the darkness.

Rey’s eyes widened; she knew that lightsaber anywhere.

Kylo Ren.

Instinctively her hand frantically went to her belt. Her blood ran cold when she realised her lightsaber wasn’t there!  

_Where is my lightsaber? I brought it with me!_

It was her life. Her ever faithful companion; always there to defend her when she needed it. No Jedi went anywhere without it, no Sith for that matter either. She knew she had brought it with her, she wasn’t foolish enough to forget something so important!

_Where in Luke Skywalker’s name is that blasted - Oh no…_

The figure shrouded in shadow emerged into the clearing, heading towards her. The flickering flames gleamed off his black armour as rain washed down upon him. He walked with purpose, his lightsaber held out at his side.

Rey didn’t have time to ponder on her missing weapon. She had to get out of here. Now!

Without looking back, Rey bolted as fast as she could into the dark forest, trusting in the force to guide her in the darkness. It told her when to turn to avoid the trees, when to jump over jutted out plant roots and rocks, and when to duck from low hanging branches. The force guided her in a magnetic like pull, taking her deeper into the forest, away from the searing fires and the lightsaber wielding masked man.

_“Beep, bop, beep beep, bop, bop, boo-”_

Rey grinded to a halt, looking around desperately for her friend.

“BB-8?”

She breathed in sharply, turning towards where she had heard him. When she turned the world had shifted in an instant.

It was once again the beautiful, peaceful forest with green spreading as far as the eye could see. She could hear the tweets and chirps of birds, the rustle of leaves and the whistling wind. There was no smoke. No fire. No darkness. And no one else was here. Just her and BB-8.

Rey put a hand on her head, the changing landscape having disorientated her. She felt sick. Sweat trickled down her cheeks as she gasped for air. 

 _What in the stars name what that?_  

BB-8 suddenly burst through a wall of shrubbery, gritting to a stop beside her. It gave her a scolding beep for running off.

“I didn’t run of! Where did you disappear to?” Rey shouted, balling her hands into fists.

BB-8 moved backwards, as though he were taken aback by her words. He shook his head, rolling forward and continued to scold her, claiming she had been the one to suddenly run off.

“I didn’t, BB-8! You vanished and then I ran when I saw - wait. Did you not… you didn’t see any of that, did you?” Rey whispered.

When BB-8 titled her head then shook it, letting her know he was confused as to what she meant, Rey felt herself sigh. If BB-8 hadn’t seen it then it had to have been all in her head. Looking around only further confirmed this. She could see no signs of fires having burned the forest, nor could she feel Kylo Ren anywhere near. What she had just seen had to have been the forces doing. It had to be telling her something. Maybe it had shown her a glimpse of what had happened the night of the academy’s downfall. When the Knights of Ren had attacked and destroyed everything and everyone.   

 _Not everyone,_ a voice, much like her own, whispered.

She ignored the voice, glancing around to see where she had taken herself. It was then she had noticed the tree. A unsettlingly familiar tree. As if in a trance she slowly approached the old oak, crouching before it and digging her fingers into the surrounding dirt before it. She felt like there was something there. Something calling out to her to find it. After a few moments of digging she had found it. The japor snippet. As if it had been sitting there, patiently waiting for her.

The more she examined it, the more that feeling that it belonged to her grew. She couldn’t deny it. She knew without a doubt that this was hers. But if it was hers… did that mean that she had been on this planet before? Was that why everything was so familiar? Because she had lived here?

“I guess,“ Rey murmured, clutching the trinket in her hand as she finally answered BB-8’s question on how she knew it had been buried there. "I must have put it there.”

That sounded right. She had hid it here, under an old, gnarled tree. Why she felt the need to hid it she couldn’t quite grasp, but she could hazard a guess as to why she had hid it specifically under this tree. The old oak was the most recognizable of all the trees she’d seen so far, it’s massive roots having clamoured over a mossy boulder that had been etched with old symbols of some ancient language. Perhaps she had hid it here because she would be able to find it again.

Yet for some reason the thought of finding it filled Rey with a sense of unease. A bitter taste filled her mouth, and she knew that whenever she had hid the trinket in the soil, she hadn’t had the intention of ever returning for it. She felt a tight knot form in her stomach, her fingers trembling slightly as they held the trinket.

Perhaps there was another reason for hiding it here. She knew there was. But trying to catch the memories was like trying to catch water with her fingertips. She couldn’t grab the specific memories she wanted, only small droplets of vaguely related feelings and thoughts which were quick to slip from her grasp. It was infuriating, and she was quickly finding herself becoming more and more agitated with each failure to recall everything she wanted.

 _Why can’t I just remember?_ Rey thought bitterly, gritting her teeth.

What was holding her back from remembering something she so desperately wanted to recall? What was this trinket? Who had given her it? Why had she hid it? And why had she been on this planet on the first place?

Her head began to throb, her breath becoming ragged as she tried concentrating, blindly searching in the dark recesses of her mind.  

_Come on, remember. You can do this. Just remember…_

Nothing. All the emotions and clippets of foggy memories vanished, the strange connection that they shared with this trinket disappearing. Rey cursed under her breath, bringing a hand to her head in an attempt to sooth the slowly mellowing pain.

“It’s no use BB-8. I can’t remember,” Rey sighed, shaking her head. She propped herself up against the old tree, closing her eyes. “I know this belongs to me, I remember that. I know someone gave it to me as a gift, but I don’t remember who or why I buried it.”

She felt BB-8 roll up beside her, letting out a sad sounding whoot. She smiled, letting out a sigh.

“BB-8… if you don’t mind… could you leave me alone for a little while? I’ll meet you back on the ship. I just… I just need some time to think.”

BB-8 nodded, twirling around and back towards the ship.

She didn’t know how long she sat there, but eventually, she fell into a light slumber, lulled by the melodic chirps of the wildlife around her.

* * *

 

_A little girl of seven years old slept soundly under the shadows of trees, a silly smile on her face as pleasant dreams filled her slumbering moments. She turned, shivering as a cold draft shuddered the branches, stirring leaves into the air._

_“Rey!”_

_The little girl heard her name being called but ignored it. Five more minutes sleep, then she would get up. She’d been training hard all day and deserved a few extra minutes sleep._

_“Rey! You need to wake up.”_

_Rey mumbled something under her breath, rolling over and snuggling into the thick tree root. She groaned when she felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her roughly._

_“Rey, how many time do I need to tell you that you can’t sleep out here?”_

_A scowl formed on Rey’s features. She ignored the persistent voice and its irksome shaking. Was a little extra sleep to much to ask for?_

_“Go away,” Rey mumbled, swatting the hand away. “I’m resting.”_

_“You need to get up, Master Luke is -Oh, Master Luke! I was just talking about you,” the annoyingly familiar voice said. “Rey was just-”_

_Rey’s eyes snapped open, and she fumbled to her feet, nearly falling over herself in the process._

_“Master Luke! I’m awake! I’m a… wake,” Rey’s voice trailed off as she realised her Master was nowhere insight._

_She heard a roughish snigger, and turned to the source. A teenage boy stood beside her, towering over her. He crossed his arms, giving her a smug look._

_“Ben! That wasn’t funny!”_   _Rey growled, narrowing her eyes at him._

_“Well if you had listened to me in the first place I wouldn’t have to resort to such petty tactics,” Ben shrugged._

_Rey crossed her arms, muttering irritably under her breath._

_“What do you want?” Rey said with a yawn, rubbing her eyes. “Is it time for lightsaber class?”_

_Ben shook his head, kneeling down beside her to reach her eye level._

_"No._ _I came to give you something.“_

_Rey’s eyes sparked curiously._

_Ben smiled, pulling out something from the pocket inside his tunic, and presented it to her in the palm of his hand. It was a necklace, a thick cord with a small charm attached to it._ _Rey’s features gleamed with fascination as she starred at it._

” _I made this for you. So you’d remember me while I’m away for the next few months,“ Ben said quietly, a gentle smile on his face. He helped the young padawan put it on, and his smile widened into a grin when a smile of her own broke onto her face. "I carved it out of a japor snippet. It’ll bring you good fortune.”_

_Rey delicately held the small charm with her fingertips, admiring it. She looked up at the older padawan with a toothy grin. Without thinking she launched herself towards the boy, wrapping her arms around his neck. The force of her impact caused Ben to let out a startled cry and fall backwards, both of them crashing to the ground. Rey giggled, burying her head into his shoulder._

_“Thank you, Ben.”_

_Ben patted her head, pushing his elbows behind him to get his back off the ground. He gave her a mock look of annoyance for her antics, but her radiant smile quickly wiped it away._

_“You’re welcome, Rey.”_

_“Best friends?” Rey asked, titling her head._

_“Forever,” The boy smiled, ruffling her hair._

* * *

 

Rey woke up with a start, gasping for air.

She remembered….

Memories that had been sealed away unlocked, flooding her mind. She understood why she had been sent here, why everything was familiar.

She had been a student here. Master Luke had been training her, having took her in when her family had died, killed by The First Order. She remembered the other students. She remembered playing and training with them.  

One group of memories stuck out louder than the others.

Memories of a friendship between two padawans.

Herself, and a very familiar older boy with dark hair, and fathomless eyes.

A boy who had grown up to become a monster called Kylo Ren.

A boy… called Ben Solo.


End file.
